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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pound · nail · foot · mouse · stand · wave · kid · staff

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. stand — to bear
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. kid — child
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — for dogs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com